I Saw Her First
by flyingundertheradar
Summary: Lester Santos meets the girl of his dreams, but to his dismay she belongs to another man. This is a companion story to El Diablo Viste De Rojo No Negro, and lets you in on the back story behinds Lester's behavior toward Stephanie. Don't worry, even if you have not read the other story, you can still enjoy this one.
1. I think I'm in Love

**I Think I'm In Love**

Way before she ever laid eyes my cousin Carlos, Stephanie Plum was on my radar, yes it's true, I met her first.

It was late one night at Ivy Tavern, she was sitting at the bar drinking her sorrows away. The long legged beauty looked like she could use some company, so I sidled up next to her and bought another round. She gave me a mock smile as she thanked me for the drink. Her bright blue eyes held so much pain.

"Those eyes are far to beautiful to be filled with so much sadness", I told her. It was not a some corny pickup line, I really felt that way.

"I bet you say that to all the girls", she said, in a dry tone.

"No, I don't", I told her seriously.

Her eyes met mine, and I could tell she trusted me.

"Wow your eyes are amazing, I bet you dazzle all the ladies when you flash those emerald gems," She said in a matter of fact manner.

"So true", I admitted, but tonight I only have eyes for you.

She laughed, and this time, her smile lit up her eyes, and her personality sparkled. I did not even know her name, but this woman had me hooked. Something about her made me want to make her mine, put my player ways behind me.

"Lester Santos," I said, extending my hand. "So tell me what is your name beautiful"?

"Stephanie Orr".

"well tell me about yourself, Stephanie, what do you do for a living"?

" I am a lingerie buyer, nothing really exciting, but hey, how many people can say the get paid to shop "? Stephanie laughed. "What about you"?

I am in the Army, I'm a Ranger. You are looking at an elite man, just got back from deployment, "I answered with a proud smile.

"Ah so the muscles are not just for show", she flirted.

"Are you from Jersey? ", I ask.

"Born and raised, and you" she, replied?

" I grew up mostly in Newark, then moved to Miami when I was a teenager".

"Miami, that sounds nice, fun and sun", she told me with a wistful smile.

I bought another round, hoping to continue this conversation for as long as possible.

"Speaking of fun, what do you do like to do for fun?", I ask.

"It has been too long, I don't remember, I guess I have kind of gotten boring," Stephanie replied.

"So you are telling me you don't know how to have fun at all, you forget. Beautiful it's like riding a bike you never forget. You should let me take you out sometime, I could give you a refresher."

She slouched on her bar stool and rolled her eyes at me, "Bet you could" she said in an annoyed voice.

"No Stephanie, you got me all wrong, I did not mean it that way. What I was talking about, is taking in an afternoon concert at Love park in Philly, then dinner on South street, followed by a night of dancing or a game of pool. That is my idea of fun on a Saturday with someone as special as you. Do you always have such a dirty mind ?" I teased.

The pretty lady looked at me and laughter danced in her eyes as she snorted. Then sadness faded into her expression and a tear slid down her cheek.

"Hey what's wrong beautiful, I thought we were having a good time".

I'm sorry I was, am, it's just that I am having a really bad day."

"Want to talk about it," I ask?

"Trust me you don't want to hear about it," she told me.

"Try me".

"She played with the straw in her glass, then looked at me and laughed. I guess it's it kind of funny if you think about it. Joyce Barnhart is the bully who made my life miserable all the way from first grade through high school. Today I walked into my house and found Joyce boinking my husband on the dining room table. We have been married for like five minutes! In my house on my table with her?"

I ordered another round because she looked like she could use it. Then I took a cocktail napkin from the bar and wiped the steady stream of tears that she had no idea were running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, you don't deserve that. Your husband must be a fool". I said sympathetically.

"No my husband is a dick", she said before bursting into a frenzy of laughter.

Her broken heart was painfully reflected in her eyes and it sent sorrow through my core. I had the urge to protect this woman as I stood up and enveloped her in my embrace. Stephanie's body sagged against me and I felt her softly crying in my arms. This went on for a few minutes and then she stopped.

"Look at me, I am getting your shirt all wet", she cried. "I am sorry".

"You have got to stop apologizing beautiful".

She slid off her bar stool on unsteady legs and reached for her purse. Her cheeks blushed at the vulnerability she had just shared with me as her eyes darted toward the door.

"Relax", I told her.

"Easy for you to say, my mother is going to have a stroke when she finds out I am getting a divorce. I can just hear her now" Stephanie why can't you be like your older sister she has been able to make her marriage work", Stephanie said, imitating her mother's voice.

"Ahh, the perks of being an only child", I told her.

"See, you have no idea what it is like to grow up in someone else's shadow. Everything about my sister is perfect. Perfect grades, perfect friends, perfect husband, perfect cooking. There is no room for me to compete with her on any level." She complained.

"Oh yes I do, my cousin Carlos, I don' think there is anything he does not do well. The man is a genius, he is fearless and an army legend. The guy is a tough act to follow. When he is around I become invisible to women," I explained.

" I have a difficult time accepting the fact that any woman could think of you as invisible Lester", she said seriously.

The liquor was noticeable starting to have an effect on Stephanie. She wobbled on her stool and her eyes narrowed lazily.

"Let me put you in a cab , I need to make sure you get home safely or I won't be able to sleep", I told her honestly.

While we waited outside the bar for her cab, Stephanie stood with her head cradled against my chest as I inhaled the fragrance of her shampoo. I wasn't sure what this feeling was that I was experiencing, but I knew I liked it, and I liked this woman. When the cab pulled up to the curb I instantly felt sad.

"Hey can I get your number, you know so I can help you practice that fun thing," I said to her before helping Stephanie it to her taxi.

"I would love that, but I don't want to be a cheater like my husband," she said. "Thanks for tonight Lester, and any girl who would choose another guy over you, even for your cousin, is a fool."

I kissed her on the cheek and then gave her address to the driver after I slid him a few twenties just to make sure he got her home safely. What she said about not wanting to be like her slime bag husband was admirable and made fall for her that much more. As I watched the car drive away I thought to myself, if anyone could make me retire my player jersey and hang up my womanizing ways it would be Stephanie.


	2. Don't I know You

**Don't I know You ?**

It had been at least five years since I had seen her, but the memory of Stephanie was still fresh in my mind. She was wearing killer strappy four-inch heels, a sexy black mini skirt, and a colorful clingy top that hugged every curve. I watched as she sashayed across the club, and it was all I could do to keep myself from running over to her. I kept my cool as I strolled over and positioned myself right in front of her.

" Can I buy you a drink beautiful ?" , I ask, hoping she would remember me.

"Sure handsome", she replied, giving me a smile the lit up her blue eyes.

I searched her expression for some sign of recognition but I found none. It had been a long time, and she was pretty tipsy the last time we saw each other.

"Did you come here alone, or are you with someone ", I ask casually.

"Tonight was supposed to be a girls night out, but when I went to pick up my friend Mary Lou, she had to bail on me because her kid ate a box of ex-lax. I tell you, its' times like this that make me glad I don't have a husband or kid to worry about. My hamster is enough responsibility for me to look after", She joked.

She ordered a Cosmo, and I had a Corona.

"Lester Santos," I said as I extended my hand.

"Stephanie Plum, nice to meet you Lester".

"So tell me about yourself, Stephanie, what do you do for a living" ?

I'm a bond enforcement agent", she said straight-faced.

I stared at her for a few seconds, waiting for the punch line, then I laughed.

"What's so funny"?

" _You_ are a BEA, a bounty hunter, stop playing beautiful".

"I'm serious," she said, not the least bit offended at me having a laugh at what she told me.

"Wow that's impressive, I would never have laughed if I knew you were serious, I'm sorry."

"No hard feelings, so what do you do handsome?" she asks playfully.

"I work in security, when I came back from my last deployment, my cousin hired me."

"That sounds pretty intriguing ".

"Not as intriguing as you out there skip chasing". Tell me, do you catch many high bond skips"?

"Not many at all, just one so far, but if I work hard and use my spidey senses, along with some Burg connections, I do okay."

"Somehow the idea of you out there chasing down criminals seems ….."

"Seems what ?",she laughed.

"I'm just trying to picture you out there cuffing skips"

Don't , I need a class in handcuffing for beginners. There are times I lose more cuffs in a month than the number of skips I bring in.

"Cute", I teased. "So what's it going to take to get you no the dance floor beautiful"?

She hesitated, then gave me a slight smile.

"This is not something I am normally into, you know the club scene. I'm from the Burg,this hip hop thing is new to me. Like I said before, this was supposed to be a girls night out, it was my friend's idea", she explained.

I ordered another Corona and a Cosmo for her.

"Come on, it will be fun, you like fun right, or let me guess girls from the Burg don't know how to have fun," I challenged.

"Is that some type of dare?",she asks gulping down the last of her cocktail. "You should know, Stephanie Plum never takes a dare lightly."

"The dance floor is that way", I said.

Immediately she hopped off the bar stool and strolled onto the dance floor as I joined her. I watched as Stephanie came alive on the dance floor, there was no need for her to worry about a thing. The woman was made to dance, she was gifted with natural ability and rhythm, baby girl had moves. After about two hours, we both needed a break so we headed back over to the bar.

As we left the dance floor and walked toward to the bar a woman stepped in front of me.

"Lester, Lester Santos ?", She shouted angrily.

I stared at her blank-faced, "yes that's me", I answered calmly.

"You said you would call me "!

"How long ago was that, I have not been stateside in over a year?"

The angry woman tossed her entire drink at me, the cup and all. As it hit me in the chest, I looked at her compassionately.

"Whoa sweetheart, please calm down, I have no idea what you are talking about or when it happened. If I hurt your feelings or lead you on I apologize, that is not something I normally do."

This woman was drawing unwanted attention and a crowd had gathered to watch the show she was putting on.

"Girl, get over yourself ! Lester does not promise any girl anything except a good time. "Hey cutie, long time no see," a young woman called out with a wink.

Stephanie looked me. she wore a questioning expression on her face.

Then a man stepped out from the crowd and started a conversation with her.

"It's true, that is love them and leave them Lester Santos honey. You are far too good to be hanging out with him. Why don't let me buy you a drink"?

I watched my dance partner walk off with another guy to the bar. The bartender placed a Cosmo in front her and she sipped it as the two talked. Damn my player ways had come back to bite me in the ass. Jealousy crept in as she laughed and flirted with the guy. I went to the men's room to clear my head and to decide if I wanted to call it a night and just go home. As I walked out of the restroom, I saw Stephanie. She was nearly passed out with her head resting on the bar, struggling to make it her feet. The guy she had left the dance floor with wore a sick smirk as he scooped her limp body off the stool. This dude was way too happy to have a semi-conscious companion. Something was not right, Stephanie had only had a couple of drinks, she should not have been this drunk that fast. I watched as this guy half dragged half carried her out the front door while no one batted an eye. Her clothes were riding up, her speech was impaired, yet it seemed perfectly normal to everyone else. Hell no, not on my watch, I was not going to allow this to go down. I followed him to the parking lot where he was trying to get her into his car.

"So what did you slip her? ", I ask, as I stared at the sicko

"A dose of Great Hormones at Bedtime ", he admitted proudly. "It was easy, she spent way too much time glaring at you instead of watching her drink." The predator explained happily as though he had just hit the lottery.

This guy was sick, there was no telling what he was going to do to her. It was all one big game to him. Anger surfaced and my temper boiled over. Before I knew it, I was on top of the guy with both fists slamming into his body.

I brought my focus back to Stephanie, she was slumped over in the passenger's seat of his car motionless. Gently, I left her out of the car, caring her bridal style, then I placed her in my SUV.

While I was trying to decide what to do next, I looked over at Stephanie and realized she was having a seizure. I knew had to get her to a hospital right away. I was now speeding through red lights, weaving in and out of traffic in a company issued Vehicle. If Ranger found out, he would kill me, but I did not care. I had to get her to a hospital fast.

I sat in there in her hospital room waiting for the test results. After I had explained the situation to the medical staff they had run a series of test, cardiac monitoring, pulse oximetry, urinalysis, and performance of a comprehensive chemistry panel to check for electrolyte imbalance were all performed on Stephanie, and she admitted her for observation. It had been a couple of hours and she had still had not woken up.

"Mr. Santos, Your fiancée is going to be just fine, all her test have come back clear. She does not appear to have suffered any permanent damage from the GHB. The seizure was mostly an adverse reaction from the combination of the drug and alcohol. Fortunately, the drug travels through the body quickly and she has not suffered any of the more serious reaction to GHB " the doctor explained.

"So why hasn't she woken up yet? ", I ask in a concerned voice.

"She is just sleeping off the effects of the drug mixed with alcohol. Then there is also the fact that seizures can leave people exhausted, they can be hard on the body. Give her a little more time, she should wake up soon", the doctor assured me.

There was something calming and incredibly peaceful about watching Stephanie sleep. She was beautiful with her curls softly framing her delicate features as her chest rose and fell with every rhythmic breath she took. I could have sat there for hours observing her slumber if my pager had not been going vibrating every five minutes for the last hour, before that my cell phone had been buzzing on my hip. I knew it was my cousin Ranger calling me about work. The cell phone had been turned off, but Ranger continued to page me nonstop. When the pages started coming in 911 once every minute, I knew ignoring the man any longer was not an option.

Reluctantly I left my chair, kissed Stephanie on the cheek, then I placed her clutched with all her identification next to her in the bed. I wrote her note letting her know where she could find her car, then made sure she had cab fair, just in case she could not find someone to pick her up from the hospital.

My pager continued to buzz as I left the hospital, and I could not help but to be annoyed. Even at 3:00 A.M. and from miles away, my cousin Carlos could still manage to get in-between me and a woman.


	3. Hello again Ms Plum

" _You gotta be kidding me_ ," I thought as Ranger helped Stephanie Plum out of the SUV. She was every bit as beautiful as I remembered. Carlos must have been holding out on me because he had never mentioned this woman. I could tell she was nervous about this job. I shot Ranger a glare to let him know I thought it was a bad idea bad idea to bring her. He ignored me as he introduced Bobby and I as well as Tank. Again I searched Stephanie's eyes for some sign of recognition.

"You don't like to have any fun at all," I said to her hoping to jog Beautiful's mind. Sadly it did not work.

After we had cleared all the tweakers out of the place, Bobby and I were assigned to drive them to the detox. Before I left the apartment I stood there staring at Stephanie longingly ,not wanting to leave her. Part of me feared that something would happen to her and another part of me just wanted to be in her company ,to see her smile.

"Yo man, close your mouth and let's get these tweakers to detox" Bobby grumbled.

We loaded them into one of the trucks and headed to the clinic. On the drive back Bobby looked at me with a smirk.

"If Ranger catches you looking at his woman like that you are going to be walking with a limp Santos."

" _His_ woman, yeah right Ranger does not do relationships."

"True, but it looks like he has marked his territory with that one," Bobby remarked.

"Too bad for her then. Carlos is only going to hurt her," I said bitterly.

Bobby cut his eyes at me "What's your problem man? You don't even know her. Why do care?"

"She seems nice , like a girl who was raised right. You know, from a good family. It's one thing for Ranger to play those gold diggers and skanks. But he should leave her type alone!"

I walked back into the apartment to start collecting bulky pieces of garbage to take to the dump. Stephanie was hard at work sweeping up trash and collecting dirty needles in a coffee can. It was obvious she was no stranger to hard work and was not afraid to jump in with everyone else. She was struggling to lift a heavy garbage bag. I stepped in and effortlessly took the bag from her hands

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"No problem, the muscles are not just for decoration." I was hoping the line would ring a bell as I said it.

OX~OX~OX~

It was seven A.M and me and Carlos had just finished our run.

"So what's up with you and Stephanie," I asked him casually.

"We work together."

"She's a bounty hunter too right?"

"Right."

"So the two of you are not an item?"

"Not your business Santos."

"Why so secretive all of the sudden cuz?" I half Joked.

Carlos shot me a menacing glare. "Is this your way of telling me you are interested Les?"

"Maybe."

"Get that out of your head. She is not your type Lester. Leave her alone."

"What, I'm not good enough for Stephanie ?"

"Come on Santos. Or should I say love them and leave them, Lester. You are the biggest player on the East Coast."

"No, I'm the second biggest player. Isn't that right Ranger?"

As small smile played at the corners of Carlos's mouth.

"You get the point. She is a good girl, not the type you treat that way," Ranger said.

"I was thinking the same thing," I told Carlos sarcastically.

Ranger gave my shoulder a shove.

"What time do I report for security duty on Sloan tonight?" I asked.

"You don't. Tank is going to work your shift. You don't need to be working with Stephanie tonight," Ranger hissed.

I shook my head at the man in disbelief "What's wrong with you Carlos !"

"Watch your tone with your boss Santos," he warned.

OX~OX~OX~

It was early morning ,before sunrise, when the phone rang. I picked it up on the first ring.

"Yo man, get dressed and meet me at the has been shot and there was some sort of explosion in that building on Sloan street," Bobby told me.

"What about Beautiful? Is she all right?"I asked.

"Who ?"

"Stephanie."

"Man, I don't know. We need to see about Tank," Bobby told me in an irritated voice.

"Where is Ranger?" I growled angrily.

He is over on Sloan talking to the police. Man, he never should have had that chick there on security duty." Bobby complained.

"I agree with you on that one completely Bobby," I said as I got in my car to drive to the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital Bobby was waiting for me in the lobby.

"Tank is going to be fine. He took a bullet to the vest but he did not suffer any major injuries," Bobby explained.

"What about Stephanie?" I ask trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

Bobby shook his head at me." She suffered some temporary hearing loss from the explosion and most likely has a mild concussion. No need to worry about her, some cop is back there with her."

OX~OX~OX~

The next day I was still worried about Beautiful. I looked up her address and decided to check on her. After I parked in the lot I took the stairs up to her floor. Before I could get to her door Ranger stepped out of the elevator. He grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me into the elevator. Then he pushed the stop button.

"What are are you doing here Santos?" Carlos growled

"Get your hands off of me man. I was just checking on her."

"She is not your concern Lester. Stay away from Stephanie unless it has something to do work,"Ranger warned.

"You don't own her Ranger. She is not your woman ,"I hissed.

"As far as you are concerned she is my personal property Santos," Carlos said in a low threatening voice.

Ranger pushed the stop button then hit L for lobby.

When the door opened he shoved me out to the floor. "Later Santos," he said with a smug smirk.


	4. Funny running into you again

I sat back in the sky box seating enjoying the last inning of Seattle Mariners game. As the game wrapped up I chugged the last of my beer then headed to the exit with my client. Valeria Martinez looped her arm through mine. Together we strolled down to the locker room to wait for her husband , Dodgers pitcher, Alonso Martinez.

"Mister Santos you are sporting some serious guns here," Valeria flirted as she caressed my arms.

I wink playfully at her. Valeria was a huge flirt, she craved male attention and did not take well to being ignored. Her husband had hired Range man to be her personal bodyguards, but at times, it seemed more like babysitting. Valeria chattered away as we waited for Alonso to emerge from the locker room. After about an hour the freshly showered and shaven pitcher appeared, looking like he had stepped off the cover of G.Q. magazine.

"Thanks for taking care of my lady Santos."

"No problem Alonso, Let me know If you need security if you decide to go out tonight."

"Will do, thanks again Lester."

As I walked out to the parking garage I was frozen in my tracks. I shook my head in an attempt to shake off what had to be a mirage in front of me. I would know those baby blues anywhere as well as her chestnut curls. She laughed , this sound was something I had not heard in years. Her laugh was still the same , special, warm, and contagious. I stood in the shadows making sure to stay out of sight,watching her playfully flirt with her date. The man was tall and lean with an athletic build. His coloring was Café mocha and he wore his straight dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I watched as he opened the door to his shiny expensive sports car to help her in. As they drove away I realized that she was with Isandro Gutierrez, a player for the Seattle Mariners.

What was Stephanie Plum doing in Seattle? My infatuation with her had worn off long ago in Trenton. Stephanie and Ranger were no good for each other. They had made a mess out of their relationship and it had spilled over making a huge mess for Rage man and the Merry men. Carlos continued to claim her and indulge her every whelm good or bad. He seemed to thrive on the Morelli love triangle. Stephanie became a weak spoiled brat waiting for someone to save her. She was no longer the vibrant ballsy Jersey girl I met in the bar that night. Long gone was the woman I had fallen in love with ,Ranger had ruined her. The last time I had seen Stephanie, she and Ranger were trying to make another go at it and failing miserable. Neither one of them was in the right state of mind to be with anyone, they were both too damaged.

Later on, that night Alonso had called and invited me to a party, not to work but as a guest. The location was hot spot night club. I was given V.I.P. access to everything. Top shelf liquor and the beautiful woman were everywhere. There was no shortage of entertainment, the ladies were all over me. Suddenly I saw her walk through the door. She was radiant, strong and self-assured. From the minute she walked in , Stephanie plum had dazzled half the men in the room. This was my Beautiful. She was back and better than ever. Wearing a simple pair of jeans , spiked heels and an off the shoulder blouse, Steph was captivating. I kept my eye on her throughout the night as she partied , danced and flirted. Once again she was the entertainment and I was enjoying the show. This was the person that had I wanted to make mine a few years ago, the woman Ranger had stolen from me.

"Yo, you like what you see man ?" A tall Latino man asked me.

"Huh?"

"The woman , I could hook you up word is she gets around," the man told me.

Just like that, the spell was broken. I guess maybe she had not changed all that much. Was Stephanie plum still looking for a man to save her? Had she continued to allow men to use her and then go on their way ? Jealousy sparked through me as I wondered just how many people she had slept with?

I spent the next few days in town following and watching Stephanie Plum. Something's never changed , she still was unaware of her surroundings. Despite her modest job, she was living an extremely comfortable life. The home she lived in was spacious with a huge yard. Her midsize mom-mobile she was driving was a huge step up from anything she had owned in Trenton. I would not call her lifestyle lavish but she was very comfortable. Was she supplementing her income by dating ballers and high rollers?

I had finished my surveillance of Stephanie plum but I still could not get her off my mind. There were so many unanswered questions in my mind about her and the lifestyle she was living. How did she get in on this upscale dating scene? Was she just dating or could Stephanie be working as some sort of high-end escort? Why was her roommate a former prostitute? What was Julie doing living with her? Stephanie had changed in so many ways. Her persona had become extremely complex. This woman was now a working single PTA mom. She now appeared to be more stable and responsible. I had once called her beautiful and that name still fit her. Stephanie Plum did not seem to be drifting through life aimlessly anymore. Her uncertainty had blossomed into confident navigation. This woman had my mind racing all over the place.

Once again Alonso had invited me out. This time, to hang with the team. We all met up at an upscale bar, the place was exclusive and catered to clients. When I got to the door the bouncer asked me for my name and after checking the list he opened the door for me. The player were all seated in two booths in the corner of the bar. As I made my way over I noticed Isandro Gutierrez. A leggy bleach blond with huge tits was working hard to get his attention. It was clear to see from the look on his face that he was bored with her brazen behavior. Gutierrez was too polite to tell her that she was not his type so I decided to help him out.

"You're wasting your time sexy. That man is just not that into you," I told her with a kind smile.

She looked up at me and licked her lips like I was a steak. "So what about you handsome?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Sorry sexy you're not my type. I like my woman less aggressive," I told her.

Gutierrez Chuckled and the bimbo stormed away angrily.

"Thanks, man. I thought if I ignored her hard enough she would just walk away," Isandro explained.

"Not your type huh?" I laughed.

"How did you guess?" he asked.

"I saw what you were working with when you left the game yesterday. She's nice."

He shot me a half smile. "Yes she is , nothing like what just walked away."

"So that's your woman ?" I asked casually.

"No, but I wouldn't mind taking her home to meet Mama," he answered sincerely.

"YO, Santos get over here and stop fraternizing !" Alonso called from across the bar.

"Tell Martinez I said what's up and I'll see him in the offseason," Gutierrez laughed.

As I sat down with the guys I relayed the message to Alonso.

"What did he mean by that?" I asked.

During the season, we are not allowed to fraternize with the opposing baseball teams. During the offseason, a lot of us hang out, Isandro and I have been friends for years.

"So you know his lady ?" I asked a little too eagerly.

Alonso cocked an eyebrow at me.

"You got it bad for that brunette don't you man?" The guy who had offered to hook me up with her last night said.

"Not really, just curious," I said coolly."By the way, who are you?" I asked.

"Santos this my baby brother Julio we cal him J.J. J.J. this is Lester Santos, I've told you about him," Alonso said.

I work with some key players on the scene here in this city. Your girl gets around but only with the VIPs.

"So she is not his girl?" I said.

"Could be, he has enough money to afford her," one of the guys said from the across the booth.

"Your telling me she is a call girl".

"No, nothing like that. She is just a woman who likes to have a good time. If you have the right pedigree ,credentials or bank account, that woman is down to have a good time with you," another man told me.

"Yeah, they call her the good time girl in the Mariner's clubhouse," someone laughed.

"Still interested Lester? I can get you her number," J.J. offered.

"Nah ,I'd much rather have a drink", I muttered.

An hour and two bottles of Ciroc later , the bartender was refusing to serve me any more liquor. I decided to take an Uber back to the hotel when I was asked to pipe down for the fifth time.

~XO~XO~XO~

As my driver pulled up to Stephanie's house I saw her roommate Robin and the girls get into the car and drive away.

"Wait here," I told the Uber driver handing him a Hundred dollar bill as I exited the car.

Slowly I crept to the back of the house and picked the lock to the door. I made myself comfortable on her couch and waited for the good time girl to come home. I had never been high-quality enough for a roll in the hay with Stephanie. Tonight I was going to use some dirt I had on her to persuade Stephanie to let me sample her goods.

It had been two hours since Stephanie Plum had come home to find me sitting in her living room. To say things did not go as planned would be a huge understatement. She still did not keep a loaded gun but she was great with a blade. I was sitting in the emergency room covered in blood trying to come up with a story to explain my injuries that would not get me arrested. Playing the drunk role was what I went with. The staff stopped asking questions and when I blew a 0.18 on the breathalyzer. Most states considered a person legally impaired at .08. It took more that two hours for them to stitch me up. To make matters worse, Alonso had shown up when the hospital had simply called the last number on my cell phone as next of kin.

"I'm, sorry man you should have told them that you were a client. There was no reason for you to come out here," I muttered.

"Hey,we are more than that Lester, It was no problem," Alonso assured me.

"This is unprofessional and I am embarrassed. I owe you a huge apology and your wife."

"Don't worry bout it Santos , you were pretty wasted when you left bar tonight. I thought you were going to go back to your hotel and sleep it off." "Where did you go and how did you end up like this?"

I shook my head not wanting to expose my stupidity.

"I know that look. That's the look of a man who has done something extremely stupid. What did you get into Les?" he said with an impish grin.

"Nothing really, more like who I tried to get into."

"Nah you don't mean the chick you were asking about tonight ?" " Yo ! they were just screwing with you, man. She is not one to be treated like a casual encounter. If she even thinks you're trying to hit and quit it, you better watch you nuts. That woman has gotten the attention of more than a few high rollers. Some of them have walked away with more than their feelings hurt for coming at her the wrong way," Alonso laughed.

I smirked and then laughed for a full minute.

"You good Lester?" he asked with a voice full of concern.

"Just great man," I said as I walked out with well over one hundred stitches , some staple, a tetanus shot and a prescription of antibiotics.


	5. Complicated Confusion

I stood back hidden against the pier , trying to keep out sight as well as the path of the bustling crowd. Even though it had been nearly a week since Stephanie Plum had tried to carve me up like a thanksgiving turkey, I was still in a lot of pain. For some strange reason, I had been drawn to the fisherman wharf for the past few days just to get a look at her. A look had turned to gawking and my gawking had begun to morph into something that resembled stalking. I had spent hours watching her work. It was clear where her newly acquired knife skills had come from. Stephanie's work ethic was still excellent , I never once saw her complain about the backbreaking labor she was doing. This job was a waste of her skills. Stephanie Plum had so much more to offer than boat tours and gutting fish. This did not even seem to be a job she enjoyed. If I'd had my way back in Trenton she would have been my wife. Stephanie would never have known what it was like to work like a dog on some fishing boat. This had to stop , there was no reason for me to be here. A quick search had answered all of my questions, Stephanie had moved to Seattle after splitting with Ranger. She fled with the baby girl they had adopted together and went into hiding. Since Ranger had been arrested on a shady international business deal that went wrong , he had been unable to follow her. Without Ranger , Julie had become a troubled teenage. Stephanie had taken her in after Rachael threatened to send her to a wilderness boot camp. Robin, her roommate was someone she had met when she was living in Newark. Beautiful had worked through her issues and was thriving. I took one last look at her and then went back to my hotel to pack. Stephanie Plum was doing well and I was happy for her. Ranger and Stephanie could have been a great match. Over time, they continued to hurt and use one another. Both had become far to damaged as humans to make a go of their romance.

~XOX~XOX~

He had done it again, the Teflon Don himself, Carlos Manoso , had managed to get out of prison. That did not bother me as much as the fact that he planned to go spend a week in Seattle. I wanted this man far away from Steph. She was back on track and I knew how easily she could be drawn in by his charm and playboy looks. After his last mission, Ranger had not been himself. If she allowed Ranger back in her life, who knows what damage that man could do to her or their girls. The last time any of us had seen Ranger he had been a loose canon. Maybe I could talk to him and convince Ranger he was better off staying away from Stephanie. My last conversation with him had been full of hostility. If I could get a face to face sit down with my cousin maybe things would go better this time.

I had lured Ranger to Los Angeles by telling him I needed to discuss business. As I sat behind my desk and pulled up the security footage for the main entrance I watched Ranger arrive. I was unprepared for the emotion reaction I would have at the sight of my cousin for the first time in nearly a year. This man had turn everyone's life upside down over the years. The cocky way he sauntered into _my_ building for the first time, made my blood boil.I needed to calm down and channel my aggression toward this man. So I sent my secretary an email letting her know that I was going to the gym and to have my guest wait from me in my office.

I stripped down to a pair of gym shorts and began to work the heavy bag to alleviate some of my tension. While I was engrossed in my work out I did not even notice Ranger come into the gym. I had no idea why he was even up here. My secretary should have had him set up in my office to wait for me. Without warning, my cousin picked up a weighted ten-pound boxing glove and launched it at my head. I was able to easily dodge it, but needless to say the man's actions did nothing to improve my mood.

"Sup Primo," I said with my back toward him.

"Enough Lester, I don't have time to play your games. What is this business you need to talk about?", he inquired.

WOW! Ranger did not have time for _this_. The man did not have time for me? Well, there were _plenty_ of things that I did not have time for, starting with the contract for a government mission that was left attached to the company. With Bobby and Tank gone and Ranger in prison , I was the only one around to fulfill his obligation. I did not have time to take away from Range Man L.A. to go retrieve a captured platoon. The severe concussion I sustained on that mission was yet another thing I did not have time for. Suffering from post-concussions syndrome and P.T.S.D were also not on my list of things to do list. One thing that pissed me off the most was spending time waiting on DNA test for a child that may or may not be mine. Both she and Ranger had denied anything had happened between them , but I found that hard to believe. The way those two looked at each other made me suspicious. She had been interested in my cousin first, but was persuaded to date me by Ranger. He thought if I kept the sexy social worker happy,the adoption of the child he and Stephanie wanted would be far easier.

This man's inpatients and arrogance made it hard to keep my anger in check. So what did I do? I said some really stupid things to get under his skin and picked a fight.

"The business I am talking about is _my_ business, Ranger, stay out it! I got a call from my mother chewing me out about the whore and her brat. What were you thinking bringing her around our family?" I complained.

When he did not answer, I turned around and stalked angrily towards Ranger.

"Lester you are a father now, that baby boy is yours. He looks just like you. Man up and do the right thing", My cousin told me.

"How do I know it's not yours Ranger? You think I don't know you were making time with her too? I know how you get down, it's nothing new", I argued.

"Nah Les, I never hit that, if I did and he was my son, I would not be trying to pass him off on anyone especially you", he replied.

"Don't act like your so above the B.S. Ranger. You and I have played pass the pussy plenty of times. What was mine was yours and what yours used to be mine until you met Ms. Plum Juicy. I always played fair man, but when it came to her, you broke all the rules. Ranger, you got greedy and never passed her in my direction", I hissed.

I was getting to him I could tell by the way he clenched his fist at his side.

"I did not come here to fight with you Lester, I have things to do and some place to be".

"Is it that good Ranger, that you could not share with your cousin?",

"She is not that kind of woman Santos!" he growled.

"If you are going to Seattle, don't expect to see that precious baby girl you fell in love with, Stephanie said you are not her father", I taunted.

"Lester stop this, I am not going to fight you, I know there is a lot of bitterness and hostility, but we used to be like brothers. It's just us now, Tank and Bobby would hate to see us at each other throats like this".

The mention of the men's name had me seeing red , If Ranger had gone after his own woman that day Bobby would still be here!

Without warning, I launched myself into the air taking him down to the floor. He quickly was able to get the upper hand and pinned me to the mat, I conceded.

"Get it together Santos, I am not your enemy! I will see you in Miami when you to come visit your son, maybe by then you will want to use your words. If you don't , I will see you on the mat again", he told me.

"Tell Stephanie the scars add character, women love muscles, but add some scars, and I become irresistibly sexy", I jeered.

Ranger glared at me and raised an eyebrow, "Santos if you hurt her …."

"Hurt her, I am the one with the scars. She is fine, as usual. Remember it is the people around her that get hurt, " I interrupted.

"See you in Miami Lester," he said as he exited the gym.

The meeting I had planned with my cousin had gone completely left, nothing was accomplished or resolved. I did not want to fight with Ranger but he was just so damn arrogant. The man was difficult to deal with. There was only one thing left for me to do, get packed go to Seattle and keep an eye on him. I needed to make sure Stephanie continued to thrive and help keep her safe.

~XOX~XOX~

For the past week, I had been moving in the shadows watching Stephanie Plum and my cousin Ranger. What I had seen the night before had left me greatly distraught. She had fallen for his player ways, given in and allowed him to spend the night. Ranger had somehow worked his way back into her bed. Then true to form he left the next day.

A week later I was still in Seattle.

"How could you be so stupid beautiful?" I mutter as walked around to the back of her house and cut the wire to the land line.

Next, I enabled the cell phone jammer before letting myself into her house. I needed to have a conversion with Beautiful and did not want any interruptions. Once again things went left when I came in , guess I should have used the door bell. Okay maybe 1:00 A.M. was a little late a visit , but hey it wasn't like she was in bed. Why was everyone running away and hiding from me?

"That's not very hospitable Beautiful. I know you didn't treat my cousin that way", I laughed.

"Go away Lester, please", she pleaded.

 _I was not here to hurt her I just wanted to talk , tell her I was sorry about before. The fact that she was treating me like this really chaffed. My feelings were hurt. If I slept with her I would hang around not leave town Like Ranger._

"I will, after I get what I came for, you know what I want, right bombshell", I joked.

 _I just wanted to talk ,is that so hard Steph?_

"Not going to happen. Santos, you need to get out before I call 911, or the security detail shows up from my alarm company", she threatened.

"You call that an alarm? It was disabled as soon as I cut your land line. The security company has no backup features either. Don't even think about using your mobile phone, I bought a cell phone jammer with me, they are so compact and convenient, fits right in my pocket."

"Wow, that is a lot of trouble you went to just to get to me. Are you that hard up for some Les"?

 _Was she crazy Lester Santos was never hard up for a woman! They threw themselves at him. She had to be the one who was hard up to fall back into bed with my cousin. Why was she insulting me ? Now I was starting to get really angry. She wanted me. Steph was just playing hard to get , that why she was behaving this way. I knew it Stephanie Plum wanted Lester Santos in her bed!_

I kicked her bedroom door open and gave her my best smile.

"Have you lost your mind? Santos, get out of my house, now, while you can still walk! " she demanded.

"That is cute, after a night with me, usually, the women are left walking a bit different the next day after I rock their word. Are you ready to get you world rocked Stephanie?"

 _Yeah, she wanted me!_

"You are sick Santos? I don't want you, never did".

"Au contraire Beautiful, if you think about it, there was, at least, one night when you did. I know why you don't drink Cosmos anymore" I sang with a wink.

 _she gasped, what was that about?_

"I have been waiting for another opportunity for years, I like my women conscious ".

"Did you fall for my cousin because he was your hero? I rescued you a time or two Beautiful," I said.

"I fell in love with Ranger because he is special", she said.

"Special how, as in wealthy, handsome. I am all those things too. You could have chosen me. I would not have screwed you left you lying there like a drunken one stand, then sent you back to Morelli. If you had been in my bed, I would have done whatever it took to keep you there. I would not have allowed you to dive head first into danger, I take better care of my women than my cousin".

"Lester you are scaring me, please go, I am not sleeping with you", I pleaded.

 _That's right Beautiful, sleep is not what you have been dreaming about you and me doing._

"Ah Beautiful, you are hurting my feelings. I don't want to force you, I want to seduce you. Don't you want to know who has the bigger dick, who is better in bed?" I said sadly.

 _Why was she scared, Stephanie had known me for years? I was not some crazed rapist jumping out of alleys, I did not come here to hurt her!_

"We were friend Lester, don't do this", I said.

"Were we really, you sure about that? So when is your buddy Lester going to get his go round to sample that golden Kitty Kat of yours? The one that kept my cousin strung out on you like a drug ?", I sneered as I stepped closer, and ran my hand under her shirt and caressed her taut abs.

She reached back and pulled the gun from her waistband.

"Get your hands off me, and get out!"

"Wow, that is quite an upgrade from your 38 Smith and Wesson. Knowing you it is not even loaded", I laughed.

That is when she fired a round into my shoulder, and I fell back onto the carpet.

"That was a warning shot, the next one will not be. Get out of my house now Lester!" she demanded with the gun still pointed at me.

I got to my feet and scramble down the stairs as she followed me out the door. After speeding away in my SUV I parked and checked out the damage the bullet had done. The bullet went in and came out just under my shoulder blade. I was impressed by her the accuracy of the shot.

"Proud of you Beautiful! ," I laughed. I had always wanted to say that to her. My head was now throbbing and vertigo washed over me. I could not help but to laugh out loud at the situation until I lost consciousness.


	6. Another man's Woman

"Sir , Sir are you alright?" the police officer ask as he opened my drivers side door.

"Yeah I.. Just. Someone tried to mug me. He pulled out a gun. The guy shot me in the shoulder," I explained.

"Sit tight sir. I'll call you an ambulance!"

Minutes later I was taken to the hospital and treated for a gunshot wound. The police questioned me about the incident. I told them I had no Idea what part of town where this all went down. Seattle was a not my home and I did not know that area well ,I lied. When I was asked about a giving a description or looking at mug shot, I told them it was too dark to get a good look at the man who shot me. After I was discharged I immediately went back to my hotel packed my clothes and went home.

The DNA results had come back three months ago and I was just getting the chance to visit my son in Miami. The boys mother had gone to court to keep me away from him. I could not believe that woman would tell people I was a danger to my own child in one breath and then have the nerve to ask for child support in the next. The little guy had me wrapped around his finger from the moment I met him. I could not wait to show him off to everyone. One of my relatives had called to let me know that Sara was having a barbecue at her house. This seemed like a good time to catch up and surprise my mother. She was always begging to me to get to Miami more often.

She was absolutely radiant. Stephanie Plum was sporting a baby bump along with a maternal glow. I knew I should have left her alone, but once again I was drawn to her. Beautiful did everything but run away when she saw me at the family get together with my son.

I walked into my cousin Sara's bedroom looking for a place to change Fernando. Gently I placed him down on the bed without even looking up. Then I saw her sleeping so peacefully. Beautiful was napping restfully on Sarah's bed.

"That's your auntie Stephanie," I whispered to my son.

After Fernando had a clean diaper , I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her rest. Once again I was hypnotized just by watching her sleep. A calm washed over me as I laid down next to her. The baby lay between us playing with a stuffed rattle. I had no intentions of hurting or even touching Steph. I just wanted to watch her sleep like I had that night at the hospital. After more than a half hour she started to wake up. Her sleepy eyes slowly opened and looked at me then closed again. When she opened her eyes once more, Stephanie started to scream.I saw fear and pain as she glared at me. I never meant for this to happen. Frightening her was not what I had intended.

"Calm down Stephanie this is not good for your baby ," I cooed soothingly.

She continued to scream. I had to fight the urge to take Beautiful in my arms and comfort her. Seeing Stephaine so upset was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry. Steph I'm sorry!"

She gave me her best Burge eye roll and I had to laugh. Stephanie protectively wrapped her arms around her pregnant belly.

"You are a sick man Santos, stay away from me !", Stephanie yelled.

"What happened Babe? " Ranger growled as he ran into the room.

"I woke up and Santos was lying in bed by my side staring at me," Stephanie screamed.

"I just came in here to change my little man's diaper. I felt like I could use a nap. Your wife is beautiful when she sleeps. Then again you already know that. But I knew before you cousin", I retorted with a smile.

That's when my cousin sucker punched me. Ranger hit me so hard I was knocked a few feet back off the ground and onto the floor.

My son wailed loudly. Stephanie picked him up and cradled the crying baby in her arms.

"Stop Ranger. Just get him out here!" Stephanie hissed.

I just sat there on the floor laughing with blood trickling down my chin.

"Are you drunk man , how hard did I hit you?" Ranger asked.

"Naw man, I don't get drunk. That is when you lose control and make yourself vulnerable. Your woman would know all about that,"I told him as I laughed harder.

I was roughly snatched to my feet by my shirt. Then Ranger dragged me out of the side door to my car.

"What was that back there Santos? What are you talking about?"

"You are not the first man to watch her sleep. I was just watching her sleep." I was not going to touch her , not while she is carrying your child", I said in a matter of fact tone.

Ranger clenched his fist and swung. Before he could make contact, Stephanie screamed for him to stop. She was standing on the lawn with Fernando in her arms. The diaper bag was on her shoulder.

Slowly Steph walked toward the car. When she approached, Stephanie dropped the baby bag to the ground. Then she shoved the baby into Ranger's arms.

"You can't do this. Your mother is here, his mother is here. You are going to make things really awkward for everyone", she warned, before storming off back into the house.

My cousin opened the rear door and placed Fernando into his car seat, and fastened him in. Then he picked up the diaper bag and threw at me before heading back into the house.

~XO~XO~XO~

I was being stalked. From the time that I had gotten into my car, this morning someone had been tailing me. It was no secret that Ranger had been to one following me. Who did he think I was Stephanie? Unlike her, I was aware of my surrounding. As soon as I stepped foot outside I noticed his car discretely parked at the end of the block across the street hidden behind the bushes. He had been five cars behind me while I drove to the bank. When I went to the drive through for lunch I noticed him parked on the other side of the lot. Ranger stayed in his car while Fernando and I went for a walk at the park. Then he trailed me back to my apartment. When I came back outside to take to my son home he was still waiting. Next, my cousin followed me to my baby mama's house. I purposely left the rear passenger's door open after taking Fernando out of his car seat. As I angled into my car and relaxed in my seat I felt the cold steel nine pressed against my head.

"Sup Ranger," I said without even looking in the rear view mirror.

"I told you Lester, I would see you on the mats. You know the way to Range man drive!"

"Cuz you could have just called instead of stalking me. This is a waste of both of our time. I would have just met you there."

I drove to Range man Miami. We entered the building and took the elevator to the gym. Neither of us bothered with changing our clothes, we just stripped down to our boxer brief. After both of us put on gloves, we headed over to the mats. I was extra hype, bouncing on my feet rhythmical in my fighting stance. Ranger threw a quick jab to my head that rocked me back on my heals.

"Stephanie is _MY_ wife now. You know better than to mess with what's mine, Lester!"

"See, that's the problem with you cuz, you think everything is yours, women, Cilia 's baby, even Range man Miami. Why didn't you go to Boston and let me stay here? Naw, just like everything else, you took it for yourself!" I ranted, as I tagged him with a brutal uppercut.

He was quick on his feet and able to dodge the right hook I sent in his direction. Ranger tossed me backward with his vicious spinning back kick. I rolled, recovering quickly then got to my feet.

I spun around Ranger, coming up from behind him. Then I wrapped an arm around his neck body slamming him to the mat.

"I SAW HER FIRST !" I screamed.

Before I could land my kick to his ribs, Ranger quickly rolled out of the way. Then he swept me to the floor with a well place foot to my ankle.

"You must be crazy. You didn't know her until I brought her around. By then, I had already laid claim , she was my woman and off limits."

"Yeah, you called dibs like a kid with the prize in the cereal box Ranger. Only she was already in the cops bowl", I sneered.

"The cop had no idea what to do with her !" Ranger hissed angrily, as he delivered several body shots to me.

"Like you did Ranger ?" I wheezed as I got to my feet. Then I hit him in the head with a sharp elbow.

"Stephanie respected me. I was able to get through to her, sometimes when no one else could !", he yelled after landing a roundhouse punch to the side of my head.

"True, and that was the sad part about it, Ranger. Man, when you find a gem you don't play with it, you polish it. You could have buffed her to shine. With your helped she could have become a great bounty hunter. Instead, you toyed with Stephanie, made her your entertainment. You were supposed to be her mentor. That requires more than getting her a gun and a fake badge. More than showing up to make sure, one of her skips didn't kill her. More than saying proud of you Babe", I told my cousin after knocking him to the mat with a sweeper kick.

"I was there for her whenever she needed me. I helped her with her skips, and dropped everything I was doing to protect her", Ranger said as he rolled back to his feet, then he fliped me to the mats by my head.

I punched him behind the knee. Then pulled him down to the mats with me. We traded blows, pummeling one another for several minutes until he trapped me in a scissor hold.

"Part of that was to feed your own ego man. You protected her from everyone but yourself. You fed right into her self-doubt by allowing her to put herself in situations that were over her head. There were times that you were the one who put there to begin with. Maybe just so you could swoop in and play the hero,"I growled.

"What's wrong Lester, you wanted to be her hero? Did I steal your thunder once again Santos? Poor guy, you're mad because Stephanie would have never given you a chance," he boasted as he reversed the situation and place me in a choke hold.

"She could have been mine man. I would have wifed her a long time ago. When I met her, I wanted into her heart. You wanted into her pants. You warned me to stay away from her, that she was your personal property. So I backed off and watched you mess her up, turn her into all those things I told her she was that day. You exploited her commitment issues so you did not have to settle down. Remember, I know you, Ranger. You were out there bed hopping more than I was. If you had a full-time woman, no way you could have done that, not with Stephanie. She would have never gone for that. Babe, ha, did that really start as a pet name for her, or were you involved with some many women at the time , that you could not remember her name?" I coughed.

"Keep dreaming Santos, you never had a chance with her. Stephanie let you flirt with her because she felt sorry for you. She was my Babe from the time I met her, you know I love Stephanie. I have never felt the way I do for her with any other woman! ", he said standing over me, waiting for me to get to my feet. When I did, I charged at him. Quickly, Ranger grabbed me by my left arm spinning me around locking my arm in a painful hold behind my back. He brought my other arm around his neck pinning me in place,

"Yeah I know. It took you long enough to figure that out. I won't bother her again. She's happy now, has been for a while. Keep it that way. Be a good husband and father. Tell Beautiful I am sorry," I said gruffly as I conceded.

"Stephanie is my wife now, you don't…"

"She may be your wife now, but I saw her first, and I fell in love with her. I said interrupting him as I limped out of the gym.

~XO~XO~XO~

When I saw Ranger and Stephanie at Sara's Barbecue , I knew they had finally made their romance work. The way they looked at each other said it all. There was a new found calmness to my cousin. Stephanie had acquired a quiet assertive confidence. Together the couple complemented one another. Beautiful was happy now, that was all that mattered. They had their girls and a new baby one the way. I was happy for them but I could not help but feel loneliness creep in.

Loneliness had turned to sadness but I wanted to keep my issues to myself. I'd never stopped missing Bobby. He was always good for a laugh when I was down. Over the years, I'd failed to develop any close friendships outside of the core team. Now it was just me and Ranger. The endless stream of women had become tiring. I wanted what Ranger and Stephanie had.I wanted to be in love with someone who loved me back. I wanted a family. No one wanted that with me. How could they, I was one messed up guy?

I had been wired the past few days and had not slept a wink. It was not my weekend, but I desperately wanted to visit my little guy. To say I was not his mother's favorite person would be an understatement. She barely talked to me on the phone and preferred to text instead. I jumped in the car and drove over to her apartment. Her car was in the lot so I knew she was home. Tenuously I rang the bell and waited for her to answer.

"Who is it ?" she asked.

"It's me Syl," I murmured.

I heard her groan before she wrenched open the door in frustration.

"What ! You can't just show up here Lester."

"I know, I'm sorry."

She finally looked up at me. Confusion shock and a hint of compassion were reflected in her eyes.

"You don't look good, are you alright?" she asked.

"You look gorgeous as usual ," I teased. I found myself laughing solo , guess she was not in a joking mood.

"What's wrong with you Lester?"

"Nothing ,I'm great."

"You don't look great. "

I raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"You out of mousse ? Where is your prefect hair? And what's up with your clothes? You look like you slept in them. When is the last time you shaved?" She quizzed.

"Can I see Fernando? I know it's not my day but I miss him" I whispered.

She eyed me cautiously and shook her head no.

"Please, seeing Fernando brightens my day. You get that so often. Can't I have a little of that happy today _please_ ," I begged.

"Okay, wait here," she said.

"His bath time is at 7:30. If you don't have him back by then , I'm calling the police."

"Thank you," I said before she closed and locked her front door.

"Hey little man wanna take a ride in your stroller at the park?" He gurgled and then gave me a smile. My heart melted as I placed him in his car seat.

We drove to the park. After unfolding the stroller from my trunk, I fastened Fernando in for his ride. His little legs kicked happily. We hit the trail and went for a walk. We strolled the trail for about two miles then went over to the playground. I fumbled with the buckle before taking my baby boy out of his stroller.

"Okay, little man ,you wanna fly?" I said as I placed him in the baby swing carefully. Gently I pushed the swing. He kicked his little feet and waved his tiny hands as he giggled.

"Oh , you like that huh Fernando?" I laughed as I pushed him a bit faster and higher. The baby responded by laughing out loud and even harder.

"Oh, what a cute little laugh !" a voice called from the far end of the swings without looking over.

I knew that voice. Awe man! It had been two weeks since I'd seen her. This had to look bad like I was still stalking her. I scanned the park. She appeared to be alone, but I knew my cousin would not let her leave the house without having someone close by.

"Time to go home," I said as I quickly took my son from the swing and placed him back in his stroller. He poked his bottom lip out at me then wailed loudly in protest.

"Lester?!" She yelped. Then she grabbed Angel from the swings and held her protectively.

"We just came to play. I had no idea you would be here, I'm sorry. We are going,"I assured her with my hands raised in surrender.

Fernando continued to fuss. I gave him his stuffed rattle and he threw it. The child's toy hit the ground and tumbled in Stephanie's direction. While I silently debated if I should pick it up or buy him a new one, Stephanie handed the rattle to me.

"Thanks, Beautiful," I whispered hoarsely as I was suddenly overcome with emotion.

"Les ?"

"Yeah?"

Before she could respond to me, foot steps thundered across the park.

"STAND DOWN ! BACK AWAY FROM MRS. MANOSO !"

Then I was violently thrown to the ground. A boot was pressed against my neck and gun pointed at my head.


	7. She Was Nice To Les

"Put that gun away in front of my daughter," Stephanie growled.

Both men looked at her like she had lost her mind. She retrieved her phone from her pocket and hit speed dial.

"Get off of him. Don't you see he has a child with him!" She yelled.

The men still did not move. Stephanie walked away with her phone. I could hear speaking excitedly to someone in an animated voice. Stephanie returned and I could hear one of two men talking on the phone. Ranger could be heard screaming, even though he was not on speaker. One man holstered his gun and the other took his boot off of my neck. I pulled myself up and sat cross-legged on the ground next to the stroller. Fernando was screaming and I needed to make sure my little guy was alright. After taking him out his stroller, I gently rocked him against my chest. I could feel his heart pounding .

"Shh, It's okay I got you, little guy." Gently I swayed rhythmically in an attempt to calm my son. I was so focused on him that I did not hear Stephanie walk up behind me.

"Is he alright ?"

I jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Les are you alright?"

"He has a bottle in his bag under the stroller," I whispered.

She retrieved it and handed it to me. Fernando took the bottle and stopped crying.

"Thanks," I said as I continued to sit on the ground and feed him.

"Les get up. We can have a seat over at that picnic table ,"Stephanie told me as she held out her arms to take the baby. I handed him to her. Then I stood up , walked over to the table and sat down. She sat next to me. After giving Fernando back to me, Steph picked up Angel and placed her between the two of us.

"I'm sorry Lester. I had no idea that was going to happen."

"It's not your fault Steph." " I wasn't stalking you. I meant what I said when I told Ranger I was going to leave you alone."

"Yes that's what he told me."

"Sorry for, well everything. For being a jerk to you Stephanie," I mumbled.

There was a long pulse of silence while she studied my expression and ponder what I had just told her. Then she let out a loud frustrated groan.

"What happened to you Lester? Where did that light-hearted playful jokester I knew back in Trenton go?"

I gave her a week shrug.

"Without Bobby it's hard for me to be that guy. I miss him so much Beautiful. It's hard to let go of him, the guy was my best best friend. I don't know how to let go of the pain. I'm so afraid I'll forget what he looked like or the sound of his voice."

"Les, letting go of the pain does not mean letting go of Bobby. Forget the sad and remember the happy. Smile when you think of Bobby instead of crying. Lester, we all miss him."

I thought about what she said and then gave her a smile.

"For what's it's worth Beautiful, I know what happened was not your fault. You didn't shoot Bobby. I'm not mad at you anymore Stephanie."

"Santos look at you. You're a mess!"

"Way to rub it in Steph," I sighed.

"No that's not what I mean." "Your bleeding," she said as she stood to inspect the wound. "This is going to need stitches. You should go to Range man and let the medic there take a look at it ," she told me.

"I don't think your husband wants me in that building," I huffed.

"Stop being a big baby Les. You know that is not true," Stephanie chimed as she took out her phone and sent a text. After receiving a reply she looked at me and said , "Let's go it's fine. The medic is expecting you."

I followed her to Range man in my car. Stephanie walked me in to the building Where my cousin Frank was waiting for me.

"Alright he is all yours Frank ," she told him.

"I'll make sure Santos behaves," Frank told her as he gave Steph a kiss on the cheek.

Frank escorted me to the elevator. "So how is life in L.A. Lester?"

"I would rather be here in Miami".

"Let me know anytime you want to trade life styles cuz," Frank joked.

"We could do that. I wouldn't mind having a wife," I said sincerely.

"Nah man you can't have my wife. The kids you can keep," he laughed.

"Well you can not have my little guy," I said as I pointed to Fernando in his stroller.

Frank's phone started to ring as soon a we got off the elevator. "Speaking of kids, I have to take this call. "I'l have Claudia take you ," he said pointing to a young woman near by. "Claudia, this is Lester Santos. Make sure he gets to the the infirmary.

The young woman gave Frank a friendly nod and then placed her hand on my back as she guided me in the direction of the medic.

"You don't have to , I'm sure you have better things to do. I know the way," I told her.

"Mr. Manoso would not like that," she replied. Besides we are here already.

"Hello , You must be Lester." "Mrs. Manoso told me you were stopping by to see me ," the medic said as he greeted me.

I sat down on the examine table and took off my shirt. Then Fernando started to fuss in his stroller.

"How long is this going to take? My little guy is not a happy camper."

Before I could say another word, Claudia had taken Fernando out of his stroller.

"I got him," she said as she picked up the diaper bag.

When I balked at the idea of a woman I did not know handling my son, the medic stepped in.

"She is great with kids. Claudia watches my kids when my wife and I have our date nights."

The medic was thorough. He gave me a complete exam before he stitched up my wound.

"Alright Santos you are all done here. You can put your shirt back on." When I reached for my shirt it was no where to be found.

Claudia returned with with Fernando and placed him back in his stroller. Then she walked over to me.

"He is good now. Poor baby just needed a fresh diaper. I thought you could use a fresh shirt too,"she said handing me a neatly folded black Range Man shirt. Yours is in the laundry. I'll get it back to you," she assured me.

Gently Claudia traced the newly sutured wound.

"Such a handsome man with so many scars." she sighed.

"Hey the way I stitch em up , it won't leave a scar ," the medic replied.

"No, not the ones here," she said touching my arm and shoulder. "I am talking about the scars here," she said as she placed her hand on my heart.

My eyes locked onto Claudia's. For the first time since meeting her I noticed how beautiful she was. Her black layered pixie haircut accentuated her delicate feminine feature. She had deep brown eyes that were soft and compassionate. Claudia's full pouty lips curled in to a sympathetic smile.

"Take care of that little guy Lester" she said as she exited the infirmary.

When Sylvia opened the door she was in a much better mood than earlier, when I had showed up unannounced. She actually invited me in.

"Thanks for allowing me to spend time with him. You have no idea how much it means to me Syl."

"Well a boy needs his father, no matter what I think of you."

"Look Sylvia, I owe you a huge apology. What I did to you was messed up. You did not deserve that!"

Sylvia was quiet for a moment and then she stared at floor. When she looked up, she had tears in her eyes.

"Lester it wasn't all your fault. When you showed up, I was still angry at you for not calling me back when I told you I was pregnant. Then when you mailed me a check to pay for an abortion I was furious. I was cruel to you that day Lester. And I hit you first. Lester I'm ...

"STOP! Sylvia stop, just let me be a man and apologize. There is no excuse for the way a treated you. I was wrong all the way around. You are the mother of my child and I owe you better. I'm going to be better. I know that the two of us can't be in a relationship. You have moved on. But I hope that one day we can be friends," I said.

Before she could say anything my stomach growled loudly , and we both laughed.

"I was just about to have dinner, should I set a place for you?" Sylvia asked me.

After dinner we sat down and watched a game on T.V. At some point I most have fallen asleep, because I woke up alone on the sofa under blanket. The apartment was dark.


	8. Who's That Girl

I was surprised to hear someone knocking at my door. No one ever visited me at my Condo in Miami. When I opened the door Claudia was lounging against the door. She had a large insulated tote on one shoulder and my shirt on the other.

"Hey, pretty lady what brings you here today?" I said with a wink.

"So what I heard was true huh Santos." "I Just came to bring you back your shirt," she said with a wink.

"Well, that would depend on what you heard and who you heard it from,"I retorted.

" I have been told you are a huge flirt. Sorry, I can't reveal my source, "She teased.

"So did this source of yours tell you where to find me , because I don't remember giving you my address."

"You know where I work," she said with a shrug ."Finding out where you live was easy,"Claudia reminded me.

She tossed my shirt back to me and I inspected it. "Wow, this is as good as new , you did not have to go through all this trouble."

"No problem," she said as she placed an insulated tote on my kitchen counter. Savory mouth watering aromas filled my home as she took food from the bag. Claudia walked over to the refrigerator and placed a few containers onto the empty shelves.

"Wow, it's a good thing I showed up. I think your box of baking soda is getting lonely in there," She teased.

"Ha ha , you got jokes huh," I replied.

"I got jokes along with food, and it looks like you could use both right about now."

"Well, the baking soda is not the only one that's lonely." "How about you stay and eat with me?" I said sounding a little desperate.

"Claudia looked up at me with her big brown sympathetic eye and I could almost hear her heart breaking. She walked over and wrapped her arms around me in a gentle hug. As much as I would love to have lunch with you , Lester , I can't today. I have to fly."

"I understand, you have some place to be."

"No, yes." " I have to fly. I mean I really have to fly. I'm a pilot," Claudia explained.

"WOW ! I'm impressed. Where did you learn to fly ?"

"Navy," she said as she headed to the door." I left Lunch on the table and put your dinner in the fridge.

"Thanks, Claudia."

"Lester I want my Tupperware back. " That is the real deal, I had to sit through one of those boring parties to get it. Don't make me hunt you down," She laughed.

I followed her down the stairs and out of the building to her car.

"Claudia why are doing all of this for me?" "You don't even know me,"I said.

"It's nice taking care of people. I get all warm and fuzzy , making sure they get what they need. Right now ,you look like you could use a hug and some home cooking," She said as she closed the door to her red sports cars and zoomed off.

I walked back up to my apartment and took out a plate. The dish on the table was still hot. I could not help but smile when I opened the lid on the plastic container and saw what was inside. Claudia had prepared a generous dish of Harina con Cangrejo. The cornmeal stew made with fresh crab and vegetable was one of my favorites dishes. This was not the kind of food you ordered in a resteraunt. A bowl of Harina con Cangrejo was the type food your mama placed in front of you at the dinner table when you had a hard day. After loading up my plate I grabbed a beer and hot sauce from the refrigerator. I decided to go eat out on the balcony and enjoy the expense ocean front view.

An explosion of flavor shot through my taste buds as I took my first bite. Claudia had nailed this meal. Other than my mother , Ella had been the only other person to get this stew just the way I like. After tasting Claudia's Harina con Cangrejo those two women had competition. As I savored my food the sliding glass door opened. Ranger appeared, he was holding a beer and a plate of food.

"How nice of you to knock cuz." "Please help yourself," I laughed.

He ignored me and sat down. "So is that beard your new look?" he asked.

I rubbed my face and tried to remember when was the last time I had shaved.

"Nah man I just haven't bother to use a razor."

"This is delicious!" he said as he took another bite of his food. Who cooked this?" he asked.

"Claudia."

"Claudia who ?"

"I don't know her last name ,she works at RangeMan." "She just showed up here and brought me this," I said.

"Aw Les, don't tell me you are trying to get with her," Ranger groaned.

"NO !"

"That's good , because if you break her heart or hurt that woman you are going to have people coming at you from two divisions of Range Man."

"She seems sweet. I barely met her the other day when I was over at Miami headquarters. Then today she shows up with food and my shirt," I explained.

"Today , she is supposed to be on a plane to Montego Bay with Miguel to pick up an FTA."

"Yeah, she told me she had to fly before she left."

Ranger retrieved his phone and sent a text message. He sighed with relief when his phone chimed with a reply.

"Miguel say's they are in route right now."

"So what is her story? I asked,"Who is she ?"

"You would never guess. She is someone special, but you should leave her alone Lester."

"You're right, what would I do with a nice girl like that?"

"That's not what I meant Santos. Our handler called me yesterday , he was concerned about you. You were supposed to go back for another head C.T, scan after that last mission."

"I'm fine Ranger!" I snapped not knowing why I was suddenly angry.

"You don't look fine Lester. You are a mess! When is the last time you ran a comb through your hair? Are those clothes you're wearing even clean? Did you sleep in them, man?"

"I got nobody to dress up for. I was home chilling by myself ," I defended.

"Les this goes way beyond your appearance. You are off , you are acting strangely. This is not you Santos. The handler told me they diagnosed you with PTSD after that last mission. You were supposed to report for treatment."

"Don't need it I'm fine," I argued.

"Les, you need help!" he pleaded.

"I'm not crazy !" I growled.

"I never said you were Les. I don't want to fight with you so I will leave."

"No !" I mean, you don't have to go. Can we talk about something else man?"

Ranger sat back down and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about old times and fatherhood. Before he went home he patted me on the back then said.

"The PTSD thing Les , you need help for it, man."

I nodded , "Carlos, I've missed you."

Later on that night, I received a text message from a phone number that was new to me. After ignoring several messages. I read one.

Playing hard to get huh Santos? I like that LOL! Enjoy your dinner, Claudia.

I had to laugh , who was this girl and how did she get my private cell number?


	9. Boy , What a girl

After buming around my condo for a few days. I decided I needed to get a haircut , so I headed for Spa D'Santa a high-end salon and day spa. Today, I actually took a shower and paid attention to what I wore. If I walked in dressed the way I had been over the past weeks, they would not even have let me in the place. When I arrived ,my usual stylist was stunned.

"Mr. Santos, what have you done to yourself ?" she asked as she draped the cape around me.

"If your hair was any longer you would be able to wear cornrow's," she joked as she shampooed my hair."Do you need me to contour your beard?" she asked.

"No, you can shave it off," I answered.

She gave me a nod as she studied my head in an attempt to figure out how to style my wavy overgrown coif. Then she turned me around in the chair and began the process of sculpting my mop top with her scissors.

As my hair was being styled, I looked across the salon and noticed a young woman walk through the entrance. She was wearing a flowing strappy sundress with a pair of leather gladiator sandals. Immediately, I recognized that sexy pixy haircut. I tried to suppress the smile that played at the corner of my lips as Claudia traipsed past me. If I had caught her attention, she didn't let it show. Claudia sat down on the women's side of the salon with the manicurist. Even though she was seated several feet away I had a clear view of her due to the large mirrored wall. I watched as she playfully chatted with the manicurist. The two seemed to be old friends. There was something intriguing about this woman. Claudia finished before I did. Her laughter wafted across the salon as she continued her friendly banter with the woman who had done her nails while exiting the salon.

My pocket buzzed alerting me to a text message. I checked my cell phone to find another text from Claudia.

Hey handsome, didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to stare.

After my shave was finished I left the salon to find Claudia slouched against my car.

"Well if isn't love em and leave em, Lester," she teased.

"Wow, are you stalking me pretty lady ?" I half joked.

"Me, stalk a man?" "Be serious Santos," she laughed.

"You are silly Claudia," I said with a smile.

"Is that best you can do Lester? Your game needs practice. I walked past you and did not even get a wave. Are you the same Lester Santos who attended a wedding and went home with the mother of the bride?" She asked with a smirk painted on her face.

"Someone has done their homework."

"You have yet to return my Tupperware, Lester," she said changing the subject.

"I'll get it back to you tonight," I assured her.

Later that evening I showed up at Claudia's apartment. As soon as she opened the door, I handed her the bag of Tupperware. When I turned to leave Claudia threaded her index finger through my belt loop.

"What's the hurry, Les ?"

I looked at Claudia and wanted to stay. Then I thought about what my cousin had told me about her. Ranger was right , she was special. I had no business with someone like her.

" What do you want from me, Claudia?" I sighed.

Hurt clouded her expression. Then she angerly shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts.

"You really know how to boost a girls confidence, Lester !"

"I didn't mean it that way, Claudia!" I'm sorry I..."

"No, it's cool. I don't want anything from you. I had heard you were a fun guy and thought it might be nice to hang out with you. Guess I'm not your type."

"It's not that Claudia. You are great, but I'm not a lot of fun to hang out with these days. A woman like you deserves better than a man like me," I explained.

"Why don't you let me decide that," she replied. "You want to talk about it?"she asked sincerely.

"yeah," I said, surprisingly even myself.

I explained everything to her. When I was finished telling Claudia what I did to Stephanie and Sylvia , I expected to see horror on her face. Instead, I saw sadness in her eyes.

"Why would do that Lester? I know that is not who you are. You are not a hateful person."

I explained my intentions at the time and how things had gone left somehow. Reluctantly I shared what the military doctor had told me after that last mission.

"So now that you know that Lester Santos is a nutcase, do you still want to hang out?" I asked.

"Sure do!" she told me. "Come on," she said as she pocketed her car keys and lead me out the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I angled into her car.

Claudia winked at me then drove off. When we arrived at the local park there was a huge movie screen set up.

"They do this once a month, it's called Twilight cinema,"she explained. "It's a different genre every screening, but I know this one is right up your alley," she told me as she took a blanket from her trunk.

We selected a spot on the lawn. Then we laid out the blanket and sat down to enjoy the movie." When the title of the film appeared on the screen I playfully poked Claudia in the ribs.

"Who have you been talking to woman?" I asked.

"I told you , I can not reveal my source ,she teased.

It wasn't a well know fact that I enjoyed old black and white movies. The 1946 classic film "Boy ,What a girl" was one of my favorites. There was no way that Claudia had simply guessed this , she had to have some inside information.

"Was it it Stephanie ?" I asked.

"Nope, guess again," she sang.

Claudia seated herself between my legs then rested her back against my chest. Instantly, I relaxed at her physical proximity. There was something calming about this woman. Her lighthearted bubbly personality was infectious and it put me at ease. For the first time in months, maybe even years, I was laughing like I used to back in Trenton.

After the movie was over Claudia stood up and looked at me.

"I think I just met the real Lester Santos," she said. Not sure who that other guy was with the wooly beard and hippy hair." she told me as she bent down and gently rubbed my face.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to my lap. "You're wading in strong currents, Claudia . Don't get swept away," I warned with my lips dangerously close to her mouth. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. The boldness of this woman was both invigorating and amusing. I chuckled as I sat Claudia down on the blanket and then stood up. She got to her knee and look up at me disappointedly.

"You chickened out, Santos," Claudia told me as I bent down and lift her to her feet by her waist.

"Swift, fast, moving currents Hun," I said with a mischievous smirk.

Claudia ran her hands through my hair seductively. "Maybe you Army boys don't swim , but I'm Navy and deep sea dive certified," she said.

I let out a bark of laughter at her flirtation. " Come on, let's get something to eat I owe you a meal. Since you don't seem ready to handle breakfast with me yet , how about dinner ?"

"Ooh you're games improving ,Lester," she mocked with a smile.

"What is your favorite thing to eat?" I asked as we angled into her car.

"Meatball subs , but I have not had a good one since I left Trenton," she answered.

"So you are from Jersey ? "

"Nope."

"You worked there ?"

Claudia smiled at me and shook her head no.

"So what were you doing in Jersey?" I asked.

"Visiting family."

"And we have never met before, right ?"

"Right Les."

"So do I know any of your relatives?"

"Oh yeah!" she laughed.

"You are not going to make this easy are you, Claudia?"

She did not answer.

"You are having fun with me, aren't you?" I said.

"Not as much fun as when you put those water balloons in Ranger's chair. And he sat down on them right before a client meeting ," she replied.

"What do you know about that?" I quizzed.

"I know he got you back by setting you up with that under-aged girl at the club. Then he watched you squirm when the cops showed up. But what you don't know is that she was really 25 and just looked young for her age. The cop was her boyfriend and they were both in on the prank," She laughed.

"What, ah man!"

Claudia pulled into the parking lot of a diner.

"Come on Santos, let's get a greasy burger and fries."

I watched Claudia eat a double bacon cheese burger while I ate mine and continued to question her about her source.

"That alot of food you just put away. Are you sure you don't hang out with Stephanie."

She shook her head no and laughed. I paid the check then we left.

As we drove, I was too busy thinking about how Claudia knew so much about me to talk. Who could we have in common?

"Why so quiet Santos ?"

"Come on give me a hint. Who is you're source?"

"You coming up or going home Santos?" Claudia asked as she parked.

"I'll walk you up."

When we got to her door she walked inside. " You might find out who my source is if you come in."

Claudia and I spent the next three hours on her couch talking. She never told me who her source was and I no longer cared. I was just glad to be able to spend time with this amazing woman who seemed to get me.

"Can I use your restroom before I go? "I asked.

"Lester Santos in my bathroom, no way. You will sneak into my bedroom and steal my panties," she joked.

"One time,I lost a bet along time ago. I did that one time," I laughed.

"It's down the hall and to the right, Lester."

Her bathroom had a connecting door to her bedroom that she had left ajar. I could see a photo on her nightstand. When I walked over to inspect the picture, there was not doubt in my mind who her source was. Yeah, I knew if I broke Claudia's heart, someone would be on a plane from Trenton to give a beat-down I would never forget.


	10. Her Healing Hands

Even through the layers of heavy clothing, the freezing cold seeped into my body. As I stood in the sub-artic tundra of Kazakhstan with my weapon drawn, the last soldier emerged from the hidden tent in the camp where we had been held up waiting for transport to get us of out of this country. The chopper had landed and in my haste, to board, I had become sloppy. This was the first time I was lead a search and recover assignment. I had missed the pack of barking Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs that caught onto our trail and were now closing in on us.

I drew my weapon and fired a shot hoping to hold off the vicious canines. My team was able to make it to the chopper. Heavy booted footsteps could be heard closing in on our location. I sprinted in an attempt to make my own escape to the copter. Just feet away from the helicopter two of the dogs attacked my arm dragging me to the ground. I struggled to free myself while yelling for our sniper to take a shot, hoping he could hear me over all the noise. A man in Kazakhstani military fatigues towered over me with the butt of a rifle careening violently toward my head. I managed to get off another shot before I lost consciousness.

"STAND DOWN SANTOS! DROP THE GUN ! STAND DOWN SOLDIER!"

I wasn't in Kazakhstan, but my weapon was in my hand. Light flooded through the window and I could now see that I was inside a home. Where ? I did not know ?

"Lower your weapon !" an authoritative voice demanded. Even in the poorly lit room, I could see the nickel plated 9mm pointed at my head. Disoriented and confuse , I slowly lowered my gun. The bedroom light switched on and Claudia's face came into view. She kept her weapon trained on me as she slowly approached. Gently Claudia eased the gun from my hand before lowering her own.

My entire body was shaking as I stood barefoot in her guest room wearing only my boxers briefs.

"Lester ? you alright ?"

Wordlessly I nodded, still trying to comprehend the situation.

"I'll be right back," she whispered before leaving the room, taking my gun with her.

When she left the room I picked up my pants from a nearby chair and started to get dressed.

"Slow down Santos. Where do think you're going?"

"Home,before someone gets hurt. I should not be here Claudia!"

"Why not it's late , nothing wrong with you sleeping in my guest room , she said gently."

"I could have shot you, Claudia !"

"No, I was nowhere near you when you let off those rounds." "I know better than to run into gunfire, Lester."

"Accidents happen. What if ..."

"It's alright Lester,just calm down," she told me as she sat down on the bed.

I ignored her as I continued to look for my key.

"You're not going anywhere Santos. You are in no condition to drive. Look at yourself. You're shaking."

"I need to go home, Claudia!"

"Your keys are in the gun safe."

I stopped and stared at Claudia before resigning , then flopped down on the bed beside her.

"You are shaking Les." "Come on get back into bed," she said pulling me by my arm.

"You don't want me here Claudia, I'm a dangerous man" I told her as I inhaled the smell of gun powder that wafted through the air.

"In case you forgot I work with a building full of dangerous men." "It's ,late now lay down and go to sleep", Claudia said as she turned off the light then settled in next to me under the covers.

"Hey! What are doing?", I said jumping out of the bed on the other side.

"Seriously Santos ?" I'm trying to get some sleep."

"In here? With me?"

"Yes , you got a problem with that then go home. Oh right, I have your keys."

I stood there in the dark weighing my options, then I got into bed next to her.

"About time, big baby," Claudia yawned.

I woke up two more times that night, yelling at the Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs from Kazakhstan. Screaming for help. Twice Claudia soothed me back to sleep. The blazing sunlight that glared through the windows roused me from my deep slumber. Much to my disappointment, my sleeping companion was gone. There were a towel , washcloth and a few toiletries neatly stacked on the bedside table. After I got cleaned up I went looking for my clothes. They were nowhere to be found , not even the boxer I had slept in. Claudia must have come in and retrieved them while I was in the shower. I wrapped the towel around my waist and went to search for her.

Claudia was lounging against the kitchen counter while chatting on the phone. The clock on the wall behind her told me it was almost 1:30 P.M.

"You should have woken me up , It's late."

Claudia turned pointed at the phone then walked to the far end of the kitchen. She took a plate from the refrigerator, then put in the microwave. Claudia continued her conversation and gave me a friendly wave. When the microwave beeped, she took the plate out and set it on the counter. She gestured to the plate and the silverware next to it.

"My clothes. Can I have them back ?"

"Shhh!" she said covering the phone.

"Can I have my clothes back ?"I whispered.

Claudia pointed to the plate.

"I need to get dressed," I said quietly.

"Huh, no one Hector!" she said."What are you talking about?" "Who?" No, that was the television. Facetime with you , now? No, I can't I'm busy. Of course not, don't be crazy Hector, she pleaded. NO, don't tell them that !"

I listened to her trying to reassure _Hector_ of _something_. All I wanted to know was where I could find my jockey briefs. I walked up to Claudia and dropped my towel. Her eyes scanned my body and a smirk appeared on her face and mischief in her eyes.

"Nice, real Nice, but now is not a good time," she said talking to both of us. Then she covered the phone and said , "Your food is getting cold." Claudia picked up my towel and tossed it to back to me.

I wrapped the towel around my waist and sat down to eat. As I ate I watched Claudia playfully chat with Hector on the phone and felt a tinge of jealousy.

"What's with the frown Santos ?" , she asked after hanging up the phone.

"So you and him an item , I know he is not your source."

Claudia let out a bark of laughter then strolled over to me and flicked my ear hard. "Next time I'm on the phone be quiet !" He heard your voice and started asking questions. If I get a call or a visit from my... source , I'm going to kill you.

"Understood, but you still didn't answer my question."

"Do I act like I have a man?"

"No, but you two seemed really chummy on the phone."

"Hector is a good friend. When I was in Trenton visiting my... source, had concert tickets. Hector took me out and showed me around Jersey so I would not be stuck sitting in the house alone. What's wrong Les you jealous , you catching feeling for me ?'' she asked playfully.

"A little and Yes," I answered. The dryer buzzed. Claudia smiled then turned on her heels and walked out of the room. When she returned she was carrying a neatly fold pile my clothing. Resting on top were my wallet and keys. I looked at the pile then looked at Claudia. Our eyes locked.

"Something is missing," I said.

Les, I can't give that back to you. It's not safe to send you out of here with a gun , you know that right."

"yeah."

Then Claudia pulled a post- it out of her back pocket with a phone number and a name scrawled on it. She sat down next to me.

"A few years back I did two tours in Iraq. By the time I came back from my last deployment I was a mess ! I was driving my family crazy in Miami so I went up to Trenton to visit my ..., someone very dear to me. It was suggested that I talk to some of the men at RangeMan. They convinced me that I needed help to deal with my issues left over from Iraq. That's the number to the place I went to get my head together. I called and they said they can take you right away. All you have to do is confirm your reservation ,"she said as held out the phone for me take.

I looked at her and then the phone then at the post-it. My hands started to shake as I reached for the phone. Claudia took my other hand in hers and gave me a reassuring smile as I dialed.


	11. Lester The Prankster

After returning home from inpatient treatment I had decided to stay in Miami. Ranger had sent Frank to run my division of RangeMan L.A., So there was no reason I could not relocate. Rangeman Miami would be my new division. This was fine with me because it meant being able to spend more time with my little guy , as well as my new girlfriend. Yes, that is right, me, Lester Santos is in an exclusive relationship. During my inpatient treatment, Claudia had made it a point to let me know that she was rooting me. I received frequent emails and regular calls from her. When I came home she let me know she was still carrying a torch for me. LOL, she can't stand when I put it that way. The fact that the two of us are together is not a well know to many people. Claudia wanted to keep our relationship quiet for a couple of reasons ; the first one being me as her boss. The next fact, she was terrified that news of us being a couple might travel through the RangeMan grapevine up to Trenton. She had introduced me to several of her friends and some of her cousins. However, her source , the relatives she had in Trenton, still had not met me , as her new man. Claudia had no idea I now knew who her source was. I guess she figured I grew tired of guessing. Still, she never mentioned the person by name.

It was coming up on six months since Claudia and I had become an official couple. She was someone I was proud to have on my arm and I was tired of hiding that fact that she was my woman. Six months together was something that needed to be acknowledged in a major way. It was time to bring out my inner prankster to make a point. I needed help to pull this off. But the person who's help I needed to enlist had not been a fan of mine due to my action toward Stephanie. This situation was going to take a little more finesse than normal. But hey , if anyone could pull this off it was yours truly.

"Is this really necessary Santos?" Claudia said as she pulled at the blindfold.

"Yes," I told her as I playfully slapped her hand.

"Be glad I trust you, Les. If anyone else had tried to blindfold and carry me out of my apartment, I would have shot them."

"You could not shoot me."

"What makes you so sure Lester?"

"You love me."

She smiled and relaxed in her car seat as I reached over to fasten her seatbelt. I parked the car then got out before walking over to the passenger's side and opening the door for Claudia. After helping her out, she stood silently taking in her surrounding.

"Why are we at an airstrip Lester ? Where are you taking me and what am I supposed to do about clothes?"

"You make it really hard to surprise you, woobie," I told her as I pulled her in for a kiss. Her body melted into mine and our kiss lasted for several minutes.

"Must you call me that ,can't you come up with a sexier nickname?" she protested.

"Who are you kidding? You already know you're sexy. I don't need to tell you that. Woobies are special , they are warm , comfy , and something you don't want to be without once you get one. You know how important a woobie is in the field, " I explained to Claudia.

"Well, when you put it that way I don't mind being your Woobie. "

We boarded the private plane and I took the blindfold off of her and stuffed it in my pocket.

"This goes back on once we land," I warned.

As the plane touched ground I tied the blindfold back over Claudia's eyes. I did not want her to get outside and recognize her location. Once we were off the plane and into the car she began to fiddle with the blindfold again. Once again, I playfully smacked her hand. When we were safely parked in the garage of the house I told her she could take off the blindfold. As we entered the house and I could see her mind churning.

"You are not going to figure it out so just relax. I have had all traces of anything that might alert you to our location removed from the house. You just have to wait, I teased."

Her hand went to her back pocket and felt for her cell phone.

"Looking for this? I swiped it when you were rubbing up against me at the airport ," I said with a smirk holding the phone just out of her reach.

Claudia chased me around the house for the next twenty minutes. When she finally caught me I had already stashed her phone.

"I'm going get you for this Santos," she playfully threatened.

"You don't want to start a prank war with me. I won't go easy on you just because you're my woman." I laughed.

"So who's house is this ?" she asked.

"It's mine, but there will be time for questions later. Right now you need to go up to the master bedroom , take a shower and get dressed. We have dinner reservations."

"Where , what restaurant ?"

"Nice try. You will find out when we get there."

"What am I supposed to wear if I don't if the place is casual or fancy?"

"You're not slick. I know you are fishing for clues. Clothes for you are hanging in the closet. Now go!"

When I came down dressed and ready I found Claudia snooping around the house. I sat down in an armchair and watched her for several minutes,loving every moment of her antics.

"So would you like to continue your search or go to dinner?" I teased. She jumped at the sound of my voice.

"No fair sneaking up on my Santos."

"Hey, I don't get to do it that often. You are usually aware of your surroundings."

Once we arrived at the restaurant I waited in the car until I got the go ahead from my accomplished. When we approached the door Hector was waiting for me.

"Hector ? What are you doing here?" Claudia asked.

"Hey Chica it good to see you too ," he said taking her into his arms for a hug.

"Are they in place?" I quizzed.

"Yes, they are waiting at the table. They think I'm in the restroom right now,"Hector answered.

"Who is waiting? Does someone want to tell me what's going on here?" Claudia said impatiently.

"No,"We both said in choruses.

"Women ," Hector said with a smirk.

"They asked too many questions," I said as the two of us walked away knowing she would not be far behind.I was working hard to suppress the laugh forming in my throat.

Claudia gave me a bemused glare as we approached the table. She was focusing so hard on me that she did not notice who was sitting at the table. I pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit down. Claudia looked across the table and locked eyes with her father. Both sat there too shocked to speak. Claudia's step mother was the first to brake the silence.

"This is quite a surprise! Thank you for bringing our Mija home we don't get to see her nearly enough," she beamed.

"Santos, we have not seen you in Trenton in since you left for Boston. You don't even call or visit. It's been too long man. Welcome home," her father said as he patted me on the back.

I walked over and hugged Claudia's stepmother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Santos that my wife!" he joked.

"So tell us what's new and how did you two manage to end up her together?"

"My boss tricked me into coming. I am just as surprised as you Papi," Claudia said.

"He is running RangeMan Miami now," Hector added.

"Oh, you didn't like L.A.?" her stepmother asked.

"I have a son that lives in Miami and I enjoy being around to see him more often , I explained"

Over dinner, we chatted about old times and what was going on in Trenton. I was brought up to speed on how everyone was doing. They let me know who had gotten married and how many kids everyone had. Then the conversation of my Fernando came up and everyone wanted to see pictures. I passed my phone around and they all went through the many photos.

"That's a good looking boy you have there Lester. His mother must be gorgeous ,"Claudia's father joked.

"So when are you going to marry her?" Claudia's stepmother questioned.

"Fernando's mother and I are good friends and co-parent's , nothing more," I explained.

"Still the playboy, huh Lester" she sighed sadly. "It's time for you to settle down like your cousin."

"My beautiful wife is right. Running from woman to woman gets played out Santos. When you find a girl who is willing to put up with you , make sure you don't let her get away."

"I'm glad you two feel that way," I said as I held Claudia's hand under the table. She squeezed my hand and shook her head no.

"I've been seeing someone for the last six months and I am crazy about her."

"Good for you, Lester. You're a catch. Any woman would be lucky to have you," Claudia's stepmother chimed.

"So are we going to get to meet this woman while you are in town?" her father asked.

Claudia's body tensed as she fought to free her hand from my grip. "Lester don't !" she pleaded in a barely audible whisper.

"You already know her," I said as I brought Claudia's hand to my lips.

There was a chuckle as the couple exchanged amused glances. Then they noticed that no one else at the table had joined in on the perceived joke.

The man sitting across from me had rage in his eyes. In all the years that I had known Louis he had always been a calm and collected. Seeing him angry was something new to me. Without warning, Louis shot out of his chair and grabbed me by my tie so hard that my head slammed into the table. Then he wrapped my tie around his hand and pressed his palm against the side of my head pinning me to the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him pick up a steak knife from the table.

"Louis no! Calm down please!" Ella pleaded.

"Papi stop."

Ella stood and rubbed her husband back while whispering something in his ear. Louis let go of me and returned to his seat. I sat up gasping for air. Claudia rubbed my back and held a glass of water to my lips. On the other side of the table, Ella mirrored the same action with Luis.

"Absolutely not, my Mija is too good for you. Stay away from my daughter!" Louis threatened. His voice was an icy low rumble , that sent a shocking chill down my spine.

"Stop it, Louis," Ella said.

"It's time for us to go home now ," Louis told Ella.

Louis reached across me grasping Claudia's arm. "You are coming with us," he quietly demanded."

"No, I'm not , Papi you ... "

I saw the rage return to Louis's face. "Just go with him , don't make a scene. It will be alright," I assured Claudia. Then she stood and walked out of the restaurant with her Papi. Ella and Hector sat in their chairs stunned.

"Don't worry Lester, my Louis will calm down. I will talk to him," Ella promised me. Then she stood up and kissed me on the cheek before leaving. An amused Hector slouched in his seat quietly laughing at me.

"I better get going. Once Louis realizes that I drove, he might decide to come back inside of the restaurant ,"he said as he stood to leave.

"Hector wait. Thanks for helping me with this."

"Thank Stephanie. She is the one who told me to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Give this to Claudia," I said as I retrieved her cell phone from my pocket. "Make sure she is alright. Tell I love her and that I will give her a call ."

"Man she has got you whipped Santos !" Hector chuckled.


	12. Play Nice Santos

I could not get to sleep even though it was close to 1:00A.M. I had been calling Claudia over the past few hours. Each phone call had gone unanswered and went straight to voice mail. She still had yet to return any of my text. This was not like her at all. She kept in constant contact with me. I fought to suppress my worry when suddenly I heard my doorbell ring.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Hector. Open the door Santos. We need to talk. "

I opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. "Man, do you know what time it is ?" I asked not bothering to hide my annoyed tone.

"Your woman's in the car," he announced.

"What , why is she here now ?"

Hector glared at me with his clenched fist.

"Calm down man. I was just trying to understand why she left Louis and came here. What's wrong?"

"Louis is angry. He is not a happy camper at the moment," Hector confirmed.

"Yeah, her running away in the middle of the night could make him a lot madder when he finds out she gone tomorrow."

"So what, Lester."

"Look, things got really heated tonight. I don't want them to get any worse. If Louis thinks that I..."

"Shut up Santos ! This is not about Louis. It's about the woman you claim to be in love with," Hector snapped.

"What Happened Hector? Why did she have you bring her here? Claudia is not the type to be running from a problem."

"It got ugly man. Everyone who was on duty heard or saw it all. Louis and Ella got into a screaming match right there in the lobby. Louis was blaming Ella for everything. He said that if she hadn't been sharing all those tales of your wild escapades , none of this would have happened. When Claudia told him to leave Ella alone,Louis started yelling at her. He asked her if she had lost her mind? Then he said that no daughter of his would sully herself with Lester Santos! That made Ella mad enough to start hitting Loius with her purse. Me and some of the other men were able to get everyone to settle down and agree to talk about things upstairs. I was in my office getting rid of the footage from Lobby. I didn't want any more people who were not there at the time to see their family dispute. Claudia came in and insisted I bring her to you. I offered to take her home with me but she wanted you,"Hector explained.

"Ella hit someone?"

"No, Ella beat the brakes off of Louis with her purse," Hector Laughed.

"Why didn't Claudia come in with you?"

"She is worried you will be mad at her for leaving. You said you wanted her to go with Louis. I wanted to explain the situation to you," he informed me.

"So she thought I would start yelling at her or tell her to go back home," I said as tried to hide the hurt in my voice.

"Nah , that was me. It was my idea for her to stay in the car because of ..."

"Stephanie told you we are good now,right." I 'm getting help, there won't be a repeat of that behavior with anyone,"I assured Hector.

He went to the door and motioned for Claudia to come inside. When she entered Claudia punched Hector in the shoulder.

"See I told you he was not going to act like that. Lester is getting help now."

"I was just looking out for you chica," Hector said as he rubbed his arm.

"Thanks," she said , giving him his cue to go home.

Hector pulled Claudia into his arms then kissed her on the cheek. "Try to get some sleep."

As soon as Hector was out the door,Claudia threw herself into my arms and began sobbing. I was not use to seeing Claudia so vulnerable. The sight of her so despondent took my breath away. Claudia was bold, brave and strong. She was an in your face kind of woman. The type of person who did not back down to challenges people threw at her. It was painful to watch the love of my life hurting so bad.I held Claudia while she cried herself to sleep. I decided that I needed to talk to Louis tomorrow.

The next morning I woke up to find Claudia had left. According to the text message she sent, Claudia had got up early and called Hector to take her back to Rangeman. Quickly I got showered and dressed to drive over to be with her.

When I arrived at Rangeman I drove to the gate and attempted to use my keyfob to drive into the garage. Then I realized that my key fob only worked in Miami. I drove around and parked in the area designated for customers and then entered through the front of the building.

"Can I help you, sir," the young guy at the front desk asked me?

"No thanks, I know the way up," I answered as I walked toward the elevator.

"Sir you need an appointment."

"I don't think so. Buzz Hector and tell him Santos is on his way up," I told guy behind the desk as I pressed the button to the elevator.

"Sorry mister Santos , but Hector is out of the office today. Would you like to leave a message ?"

"Who is in the control room , today? Call up and tell them Lester Santos is here and to buzz me in!"

"Sir you are going to have calm down. I can't tell you who is on duty. Please come back when you have an appointment."

I looked at the young man behind the desk. "Do you like working here ? I can tell you must be new. If you want to keep this job you will call up to the fifth floor and let them know Lester Santos is here."

Nervously the kid picked up the phone and talked for a few minutes.

"Wait right there. The guys in the control room said they would be right with you. They send their apologies."

The elevator door opened and two very large men stepped out.

"Lester Santos ?"

"Yes !"

Then the large men picked me up, carried me outside and dropped me on the concrete. Before I could figure out what was going on I heard laughter.

"Sup Santos, you need some help? "

"Hal ? is that you?"

"Sure is,who do think is running this division now? Well me and Hector," he said with a smirk.

"I didn't think you made out of the UK , man. "

"Well, I did thank's to your cousin. He arranged for me to go off the grid until it was safe to come back. Not that you care. Santos, you left for Boston and never looked back. Then you got all Hollywood and ..."

"Come on Hal it is not like that, I just got busy, that's all."

"Not too busy to hook up with Claudia though, huh. We heard what you did to Bomber and if you think that we are going to let you hurt Claudia ..."

"You don't have to worry about that, Hal. I love her."

"Wow, did I just hear Lester Santos use the L word. Leaving Trenton must have made you soft," Hal joked.

"So, are you going to keep busting my balls or are you going let me inside , Hal?"

"OOh, Pretty boy is getting upset," Hal laughed.

"I'm not too pretty to kick your butt, Hal," I playfully countered.

"Is that so? How about you come with me and help pick up this skip?"

"No way man."

"Just like I thought, Santos has gone soft," Hal teased.

"Hey , there is nothing soft about me !"

"Then prove it princess, come with me," Hal challenged.

"Let's go."

Hal and I road in silence until we got to the location. I was shocked when we drove up in front of Silly Sam's Play Land.

"I thought we were picking up a skip, not going to a kid's birthday party ," I complained.

"This is where he works, "Hal told me as he handed me the file.

I read through the file and then we exited the car.

"I'll take the front door, you go around to the back," Hal told me.

What he did not tell me was that I had to walk through the miniature golf course and around an entire go cart track to get to the rear entrance. After the hike I located the back door. I could not help but to smile when I saw the skip lounged against the door with a soda in one hand and the mascot head in the other. He was dress as the Silly Sam the Teddy bear. This was going to be a piece of cake.

"Logan O'Conner?"

"Yes," the tall blond kid answered.

"You missed your court date and now you are going to have to come with me to reschedule,"I explained.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry. Just let me take this back inside and I'll be right with you ," he told me politely as he pointed to his costume.

Logan put the head to bear custume on and slowly opened the door. Suddenly he turned and threw the soda in my face and ran faster than any man wearing a bear costume should be able to.

I chased him through kitchen and then into the main play room full of kids.

"Help me kids!" Logan screamed.

"That man is trying to hurt Sammy !" A kid shouted.

The next thing I knew I was being attacked by a bunch of ankle biters. They were dousing me with sticky drinks and throwing chicken nuggets at me. I continued to chase Logan as he cut through the ball pit. We both got waylayed by the all of the balls. The awkward swimming running motion we were making trying to escape must have looked hilarious to anyone watching. Logan had a head start and was able to jump out of the ball pit first. It was not long before I was on the skip heals. When I was within range I made a running tackle and swept Logan off his feet. But he would not go down quietly. The guy decked me hard and tried to run. I lock my legs around him and rolled Logan on to his back. Still he continued to fight me. We were rolling around the floor when a kid manged to smash birthday cake in my face. The skip took the opportunity to run out the front door. I was soon on my feet chasing him to the parking lot. Once again I tackled him , this time hard enough to keep him down. I reached back for my cuffs and then I remembered I did not have any on me.

"Is this what you are looking for?" Zip said as he held out a pair of cuffs.

"Move out of the way. I got this Santos," Manny told me as he pushed me aside and handcuffed Logan.

Woody and Mario helped the Logan get to his feet and then escorted him to a waiting SUV. I looked around to see almost dozen Range Men laughing at me.

"Hey Santos, what happened to your shoes?" Vince asked.

I looked down to see my socks. " Awe man I must have lost them in the ball pit. Now I got to go back and find them."

Everyone laughed harder.

"Hey Santos, you lost these," Hector said as he handed me my shoes.

"Did you get it, the footage from the security cameras" Hal asked?

"Oh yeah!" Hector beamed.

"Come on Santos, didn't you want to go to Range man? You need to get cleaned up, you are a mess. The pretty boy ain't so pretty right now ," Hal taunted as he angled into the drivers seat. His phone buzzed with an alert. "Look Les, your on Snapchat and Youtube !"

Again we road in silence. When we arrived back at Range man Hal used his key fob to enter the garage. Minutes later several other black SUVs rolled in behind us.

"Hey, Les you are gonna be an internet celebrity," someone called from a vehicle!

"Come on Santos, I'm sure we can find you some clean clothes," Hector said as we stepped onto the elevator.

"So was Claudia in on this joke ,"I asked?

"Naw , she spending the day with Ella and Louis. They went to the beach for a family day after all the drama last night."

"We took the elevator up to the seventh floor. You can take a shower and get changed here Santos. Ella left you something to wear," Hal told me.

"So Ella was in on this too?"

"No, we just told her that you might be needing something to wear."

"Hurry up Santos. We are all going to Pino's for lunch,"Hector said.

"What are you going to do to me there," I asked?

"Hey ,we were just reminding you play nice Les ," Hal laughed.

"Yeah , you need to play nice when you're with our girls , Claudia and Steph."


End file.
